True Deceit

Chapter 9: Janus

"Hold still, everything is going to be okay." Patton soothed. Janus kneeled before the bars and pocketed the keys, allowing Morality to slowly wipe the blood from his face.

"Th-thank you, Patton," Janus whispered sincerely.

Patton shook his head, an accusatory frown on his face. "Why are you so determined to have your revenge against Virgil?"

"It's not revenge," Deceit replied defensively, standing up. "I need him back, he's betrayed me."

"Why don't you just let it go?"
"Because!" Janus raised his voice, slamming his hands against the bars. Patton flinched frightfully, jolting backwards. "Because he's my son, not yours!"

Patton's eyes widened. "You're his Dad?"
Janus sighed. "Well not genetically, obviously, since Sides can't give birth. But he's nine years younger than me, so I've raised him like a parent."

Patton slowly stood, levelling his eye contact with Janus. "You love him like he's your son?" Janus nodded, swallowing harshly. "Then why is he so afraid of you, what did you do to him?"

Janus was silent. He turned away, shaking his head. "Why am I even talking to you? You're my prisoner, not my friend."

Logan cleared his throat, walking up to the bars with a disgusted grimace on his face. "You're damn right. I will never forgive you for what you've done to me." He leaned closer. "You are a liar."  

Janus tugged himself away, re-adjusting the jacket on his shoulders. "You know what's funny Logan? You're absolutely right," he lied through his fangs. "I just love hurting people, and lying to you like I am right now. Am I? Who knows." Janus stood up and paced down the corridor, where he slammed his bedroom door with a thud. He smothered his face in his yellow bed sheets, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Curse you Virgil, how could you have done this to me!?!"

Janus considered going to fight the light sides before they had the chance to properly regroup, but what was the point? Janus felt so lonely and depressed. He wanted Virgil back, and for once he wished he didn't have to use force. If only he could go back to when Virgil was younger, when Deceit controlled his every word and action with an iron glove. Then they could both be happy.

Janus sighed before clenching his fists. "Well if I can't have Virgil," Deceit whispered manically, "Then I guess I should settle for Patton instead. He's already my prisoner, I can do whatever I want with him."

Janus stormed out of the room, but not to the cell. Instead, he bottled into his lab, a complicated room chock full of inventions, science and chemistry. Deceit always thought of himself as rather intelligent. Perhaps in fact, more so than Logic himself. But no, he couldn't have a reputation of intelligence, instead he had to be thought of as a lying, deceptive, devilish snake. They were right of course; but it still hurt. 

On his desk was an automatic moustache dirtier he had made for Remus, a lie detector he had made which reversed the results for optimum confusion, and finally a flask of anti-transportation which he'd lined his cell, along with Virgil's room, to prevent his prisoners from escaping.

"Yes," Janus voiced gleefully, picking up the flask. 

He returned to his room, painting the walls with a thick layer of anti-transportation. He gave it a test, attempting to rise into the living room, and failed. It was the ultimate trap. When Roman or Thomas eventually showed up in his room they'd be captured on arrival. Then Virgil would have no choice but to surrender himself and return to the dark sides in exchange for Thomas and Roman.

But that was just the first faze of his plan. He didn't want Virgil back as he is, rebellious, liberated and disobedient. Instead, he planned to threaten the paranoid boy with Logan. Eventually, with physiological interference, Janus was sure he could revert Virgil back to his previous self. And then maybe, as a bonus, he could find a way to steal the heart of Patton as well. 

How hard could that be?